


beautiful connections

by yorit1



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Domestic Violence, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26488108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yorit1/pseuds/yorit1
Summary: Chantelle started her new job in family and child welfare. There she meets her coworker Callum. Callum is BFFs with Whitney and when Chantelle meets her sparks fly. Callum is Lexi caseworker when he meets her father he finds something he never thought he could have.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell, Chantelle Atkins/Whitney Dean
Comments: 10
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

Chantelle was starting her first day as a social worker for the family and children welfare department. She saw her new name tag CHANTELLE TAYLER and smiled. New job, new name, the new opportunity. She would hopefully help other families who were stuck in a similar situation as she was. Hopefully, she will be able to get as many abused women out of the situation.  
Chantelle was lucky, not everyone in her situation ended up only with bruises. She has seen many cases where they were too let to save the woman. She has seen to many dead women, women who died at the hands of their partners. Chantelle wishes while she is working to lessen the number of women who die at the hands of their husbands. 

Two years earlier.  
Chantelle was trying to take care of her children and make sure that Gray stayed calm, she did not want to deal with him anymore. Just one more week, and she would take the kids and never see Gray again. Chantelle only had to make it a week until she could make it to safety. 

Present  
Chantelle did not want to think back to those times, she wanted to look towards the future where she could hopefully save other people.  
In the two years since she escaped Chantelle has also come to terms with her sexuality. She realized that she was a lesbian and that Gray was the wrong one, there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. She was strong, and beautiful, and loved women.  
“Chantelle I want to introduce you to the person you will be sharing your office with, this is Callum Highway. He mainly works with children who may be put in the system. I hope the two of you get along.” Her boss Irin said.  
“It is nice to meet you Callum,” Chantelle said as she shook her new coworker’s hand.  
“It’s nice to mee you as well,” Callum said with a big smile on his face. Callum seemed really nice from the first glance.  
Their boss left the office and let the two of them get to know each other.  
“Any interesting cases your working on?”  
“One of my favourites is this adorable girl named Lexi. She has a young single mum and a dad in and out of prison. Her dad is getting out of prison soon, and I’ll be monitoring the situation to make sure that Lexi doesn’t get hurt while he adjusts to life outside prison. Doing visitations between the dad and the girl. Over the years working with her she has become one of my faves. She is such a sweet girl.” Callum said with so much passion. Chantelle could see that he really loved what he was doing, and hoped that the two of them could really make a difference in families lives. “Anything you excited to be doing?”  
“I really hope to save as many women as can possibly be saved. I do not want to see any women who are dead by the hands of their abusers, or worse women facing murder for protecting themselves from abusers. I will try to protect them as best as can be.” Chantelle said with all of her heart. She wasn’t naive she knew she would see bad things, she knew those bad things existed, she lived it, but if she could do anything to save these women and get them out she would. No women should sit in prison for murdering their abuser. Maybe one day with continued education women can be seen as the beautiful people that they are and not anything else.  
Chantelle and Callum continued to talk about their wants and their passions in life outside of work when it was suddenly lunchtime. Chantelle felt the hunger pains and was about to go out to get something to eat when they heard a knock on the door.  
Chantelle saw the most beautiful women she had ever seen walk through the door. Her hair was a magnificent colour. She had such a beautiful smile. Her eyes were what drew her to the woman. She saw deepness in them. This woman has been through a lot and has seen many things in her life. She has experiences and secrets just like Chantelle herself. Even with whatever she experienced in life she sees that she still has a smile and is so full of life and love. Chantelle wanted to get to know this person better. It must be her lucky fay that she stopped by her office.  
“Chantelle Id like you to meet my best friend and flatmate, Whitney Dean. She is a talented designer and makes the most beautiful dresses you have ever seen.” Callum said and introduced the newcomer.  
Chantelle took Whitney hand to shake it and felt sparks go up to her arms. Chantelle was starting a new job and ready to let things go, but was she ready to try and get together with someone else. Chantelle had so many questions going through her mind that she did not hear what Callum asked her.  
“Lunch?” Callum asked again.  
“Sure,” Chantelle said. She enjoyed the time she spent with Callum so far, and making friends with the person she shared the office with would make life easier. Chantelle can do it she can take these small steps forward. It is her life. She has herself and her kids and by taking these small steps she is making sure that she is the one that owns her life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lexi gets some exciting news, Ben processes things, and Chantelle sees what life can be like on the Square.

Six-year-old Lexi was excited. Her dad would be out soon and she would be able to see him.   
“Mummy, Can we get a present for daddy please?” Lexi asked her mum.   
“Callum is coming first to see you and then we can go get him something,” Lola responded.   
It had been hard the past two years with Lexi, but Lola knew that she was so lucky to have an amazing daughter like Lexi. She also knew that she was lucky that they had an amazing caseworker like Callum. Lexi was so excited that she wanted to have a room ready for her daddy, even though he could not stay with them at first. He needed to be rehabilitated and seen as not posing a danger to Lexi before he could live with her. Lola knew that Ben could be hard and dangerous, but that he would never put Lexi in any danger, Lexi was the most important person in the world to him.   
They heard a knock on the door.  
“Lexi Callum is here,” Lola said as she opened the door for Callum.   
Lexi ran up to Callum and hugged him. She really liked him. She knew that Callum was a good one.   
“This is a picture I drew of me, mummy, and daddy. Do you like it?” Lexi asked as she showed him the drawing.   
“It’s great you are so talented.”  
“Do you think daddy will love it?” Lexi asked.  
“He will love anything you make him,” Lola responded.   
“Callum, when can I see daddy?”  
“Ill be here with you next week so that we can all see him together.”  
“When can he live here?”  
“He will live with friends for a bit, but I’m sure he will move in with you as soon as he can.”  
Lexi was so happy when she heard that she hugged her mum. She hoped her daddy liked what she did with his room. She has only spoken to her daddy on the phone for the last two years. Daddy did not want her to visit him where he was away. But he will be back next week and she can see him. Mummy always brings him her pictures when she goes to visit daddy.  
“Mummy, can we go get the present for daddy now,” Lexi asked as Callum was getting ready to go.   
“Put on your jacket and shoes and we can go.”  
Lexi ran to her room so she could get ready. 

Ben was sitting in his cell alone in the prison. He has been here for two years and he only needed to make it one more week. He did not have his hearing aid here in prison, because an inmate kept pulling it out. He had gotten good at pretending he was able to hear what they were saying to him and lip-reading. He did not regret what he did to those two. The only regret he had was that he missed two years of Lexi’s life. He missed his little girl so much. Those two had it coming for what they did, and he would do it again in a heartbeat. The guys here were afraid of Ben and it needed to be that way. Being gay and with a hearing disability and nonperfect eyesight he needed to be though. Otherwise, the inmates would have eaten him alive. Ben was happy that in one week he would be able to see his daughter. He could not live with her yet, but he has found a place on the square that he can live in until he gets the all-clear and can live with Lexi. Ben hears the Bells go off signalling that there is another fight in the yard. He is going to try and stay out of fights for the next week, so he does not jeopardize his release date. Some of the people there did deserve a good beating. Ben looked at his picture of him and Lexi and smiled. He was not going to jeopardize anything so that he could see her in a week. 

Chantelle was happy to be home after her first day of work. She moved into Albert Square with her children two weeks ago. They all liked it here and it was closer to her family. As her mum and dad and her siblings, all lived there. She moved into 1 Albert Square and was excited to call it their home. There were so many opportunities here that she would not miss out on any of them. When she gets home she is greeted by her mum and her two kids who both hug and kiss her. Chantelle knows that as long as she has them in her life she is able to do anything.   
She had dinner with her children and after that, she bathed and put them to bed. She heard the doorbell go off and was wondering who it could be at this time.   
She opens the door and sees that it is Callum and Whitney with a bottle of wine in Whitney's hand.   
“We thought we would officially welcome you to the neighbourhood,” Whitney said as she handed Chantelle the bottle of wine.  
“I thought it would be great if we got to know each other beyond work, we do important things at work, but it's so important to have a balance with life, so we thought we bring this over,” Callum said pointing to the bottle.   
“Want to come in, my kids are sleeping.”  
Whitney smiled and Chantelle felt her heart skip a beat once again. Whitney was such a beautiful woman, Chantelle could see in her eyes that she had also been through something harrowing in her life. But even with all that she still had such a radiating smile. Chantelle wanted to get to know her better.   
Chantelle invited them in and took their jackets. She showed them to the living room and went to the kitchen to get the wine opener. She poured them each a glass of wine and brought it over.   
“To new adventures for all of us here in the square!” Whitney cheered and held her glass up.   
“Cheers!” the others said and clinked their glasses.   
They spent the evening getting to know each other better over the bottle of wine. Chantelle felt better she was starting over in life. She had a new house, a new job, she and her children were safe, and she was already making new friends. She was very happy with how her life was shaping up so far. Hopefully, the square really will give her new adventures.


End file.
